NVRH Honors Two Nurses with DAISY Awards

ST. JOHNSBURY, VT (May 23, 2022) – Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) nurses Melanie Gagnon, RN, BSN and Sharon Baker, BSN, RNC-OB were each honored for their compassionate care and peer support with a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses^® during National Nurses Week, which ran from May 6 through May 12, 2022.

Traditionally, DAISY Award ceremonies include patients, colleagues and family members and are held on the units. However, Gagnon’s ceremony – which was on Monday, May 9 – and Baker’s ceremony – which was on Tuesday, May 10 – were posted on the hospital’s social media channels.

Baker has worked at NVRH for over 30 years. She currently works in the NVRH Birth Center, and was nominated by Jade Parnaby, former NVRH employee.

“Sharon remains steadfast in her belief that it is more often than not the simple things that have the greatest impact on her patients,” Parnaby wrote. “A birthing mother isn’t just a name on a machine, she is a follower of all the woman who have come before her. Women are proud, strong and capable. Sharon never treats her patients as anything less.”

Gagnon works on NVRH’s Med/Surg Unit. She was nominated by patient Margaret Jareman.

“Melanie can seize the moment, work with it, and improve your mindset and needs,” Jareman said during the ceremony. “There was not a missed opportunity on her part to make me comfortable and encouraged. Her dedication to patients surely helps in their healing process. Melanie is a prize of a nurse for her abilities, but primarily her caring heart.”

The DAISY award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate care nurses provide their patients and their families every day. The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a little known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

NVRH Nursing Administration Project Coordinator Jillian Knight opened each ceremony with the background of The DAISY Foundation and The DAISY Award before turning it over to NVRH Chief Nursing Officer Julie Schneckenburger, who presented Gagnon and Baker with their honoree certificates. The honorees then received their Healer’s Touch sculptures, which are hand-carved from serpentine stone by artists in Zimbabwe and represent the bond between nurse and patient. Schneckenburger also read each nomination story during the ceremony.

“NVRH is proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program,” Schneckenburger added. “Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”

NVRH Director of Entrance Operations & Volunteer Services Pat Forest also received an honorary DAISY Award – pink daisies and a daisy bracelet – by Schneckenburger. Forest was nominated after she played songs on her phone to comfort an anxious patient.

“Although the DAISY Award is designated as a recognition for an excellent nurse, the art of nursing knows no limits, and often transcends how we typically define our professional roles,” Schneckenburger added.”

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at NVRH. DAISY nomination forms and collection boxes can be found in units throughout the hospital and at all of our medical practices. Electronic nominations can also be completed by visiting www.daisyfoundation.org/NVRH.